Grandparents Against Gun Violence Virtual Meeting
March 22, 2021
President Judy Sherry convened the meeting at 4:00 pm via Zoom.
Updates:
Lock It For Love: Carol Gee continued the Say Their Names project by reading the names of gun violence victims in the metropolitan area in February. The names are also posed on Instagram, Facebook, and in the monthly GAGV newsletter.
Lock It For Love: Co-Chair Chris Glenski announced LIFL will resume in-person events with volunteers wearing masks, social distancing and distributing pre-packaged bags of candy, information and gun locks. Volunteers can sign up on an upcoming Sign-up Genius email.
Advocacy: Chair Carla Oppenheimer announced a drive-by advocacy event in honor of Mother’s Day. Postcards will be sent to flood the mailboxes of US Senators asking for support for the two background check bills passed by the House. Postage paid cards (and addresses) will be provided on Tuesday, April 27 from 2:00 to 4:00 pm at the Colonial Church in Prairie Village. Members can drive by to pick up their cards and GAGV swag. Participation in the event requires masks and social distancing.
GAGV Office: The GAGV office is open on the 2nd and 4th Tuesdays of each month from 10-noon to access GAGV swag, Vision Quilt material, and Acts of Kindness bags.
GAGV membership: If you are unsure of your membership status, contact [email protected] or Charlotte Davison at [email protected]
Judy welcomed members from Cape Cod and Seattle GAG organizations and announced the collaboration of our three groups.
Heartland Coalition Virtual Forum: October 11, 2021 Topic: Gun Violence: Strategies to Curb this Public Health Epidemic
Presentation:
Kansas City Star reporters Humara Lodhi and Kaitlin Washburn work on the Missouri Gun Violence Project, a statewide effort examining gun violence and its causes, consequences and solutions. They spoke about similarities and differences of what gun violence looks like in Missouri’s urban and rural communities. Gun violence should be looked at as a public health problem to be solved by investing in improvements in underlying life conditions that put people at greater or lesser risk: income, housing, food security, schools, systematic racism, and living environments — what researchers call the social determinants of health. Past strategies to overcome gun violence emphasizing law enforcement, the incident itself, have proven insufficient; how community leaders see effective solutions going forward is by addressing root causes. Although there are differences in gun culture in the two areas, in many ways gun violence looks the same. It is concentrated in areas of poverty, located in specific pockets where investments are not made: there are few businesses, so few jobs, no means to do things like go to coffee shops, playgrounds, stores, etc. When communities do not thrive firearm violence tends to go up in parallel with the misery.
What can local organizations like GAGV do to help? Educate yourselves, know the myths, check in with the people in your life to ensure they are alright, know how to talk to people, recognize the signs of suicide, shop at businesses in the area.
Next meeting: Monday, April 26, 4:00 pm, via Zoom
“Differing Political Attitudes Between Gun Owners and Non-owners”
The meeting was adjourned at 5:28 pm by Judy.